BBQ Pork Ribs

Pulled pork and spare ribs have been on my cooklist since forever. Every time my parents went to the butchers I'd beg them to buy pork shoulder or pork ribs. Unfortunately the butcher could never adequately understand what I wanted and I'd end up with really pathetic cuts. This time when I personally visited the butcher, I asked for pork chops. And the butcher produced this wonderful rack of ribs that he was about to massacre to cut out chops! I think I screamed a little when he got cleaver to chop it. After precise instructions, I exited with a bagful of pork ribs, and the biggest smile on my face :)



While I'm a champion rib hog (pun intended), I've never made ribs before. My friends recently gifted me The Joy Of Cooking by Irma Rombauer. It is THE cookbook for home cooks.  The Joy of Cooking is to home cooks as Larousse Gastronomique is to chefs (and I have both :D). Besides the awesome recipes, it is a treasure trove of culinary knowledge.



So when I got my hands on this fabulous cookbook, the first thing I looked for is a barbecue rib recipe. And it's finger licking good!



Makes enough for 4 

8-10 pork ribs with the fat included
2 cups BBQ sauce*
1 cup pineapple juice

*I made barbecue sauce from scratch and I suggest you do too. It takes just 15 mins and is so much more flavourful than the store bought crap.



Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. In a large baking dish, arrange the pork ribs. Whisk the BBQ sauce and pineapple juice and pour over the ribs. Turn them so they are evenly coated in the sauce. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 3hrs. Remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 200 degrees Celsius, and bake for another 1hr, turning them once after 30mins. Once done, remove the ribs and let it rest for 15mins. Spoon the fat off the sauce. Drizzle the sauce over the ribs and serve with some mashed potatoes and toasted bread.

  

Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Makes a bottle full

2 cups ketchup
1 cup cider vinegar or any white vinegar
1/2 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp mustard
1/4 cup chilli or paprika powder
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp oil
1tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer, stirring often, for 10-15 mins. The sauce will keep in a refrigerator for two weeks.

Banoffee Pie

Anyone who has ever whipped up a banoffee pie knows that this dish is seriously simple, and unbelievably delicious. It is a wonderfully over-the-top dessert. It's crunchy, sticky, creamy, and so indulgent that it makes my mouth water just writing about it. Try it once, and it will soon become a real favourite for hassle-free entertaining.

Makes a 12" pie. Serves approx 10

2 cans of condensed milk
400gms biscuits (I recommend digestive biscuits, graham crackers or hob nobs)
100gms butter
5-7 bananas
200ml whipping cream



Fill a large pot with 3/4th of water and place over high heat. Once the water boils, submerge the cans of condensed milk. Ensure that the cans are fully immersed or it will end up exploding! Leave the cans to boil underwater for 2hrs. Remove from the water to let it cool.

Melt the butter. Crush the biscuits till a fine crumb. Now add the butter to the biscuit and combine. Transfer to your pie dish and press down to create an even base. Chill the tin in the fridge for 30mins.

The next layer of the banoffee pie is the best: sticky, caramel or toffee. The boiled condensed milk forms a thick, sticky, absolutely delicious toffee. Once cooled, spread the toffee evenly on top of the biscuit base.Thinly slice the bananas and lay them over the condensed milk toffee. Refrigerate for 20mins.

Pour whipping cream in a large bowl and whip till stiff. Spread the cream evenly on pie and refrigerate for another 30mins. Slice & serve. Its simply divine on its own, but if you are feeling indulgent, grate some chocolate on top and enjoy!



Note: Traditional banoffee pie calls for a shortcrust pastry base, but the biscuit base is popular for a reason. Not only is it delicious and adds some crunch, it also doesn't go soggy at the bottom and it helps cut the sweetness of the condensed milk

Tip: Tossing bananas in a little lemon juice makes the pie keep better and also lends a hint of tanginess to all the sweetness.

I'd also recommend add a dash of coffee to the cream as you are whipping it, to give some additional flavour

Honey Sesame Chicken

There is this restaurant called PF Changs. You may have comes across it if you've travelled abroad. In my eyes, it can do no wrong. It makes lip smacking chinese food and one of my favourite dishes is the honey sesame chicken.



Its the most amazing combination of sweet and tangy. I can pop these like pop corn! Makes for an amazing starter. I've tried to rip off PF Chang's dish here. I know I come close, and if I don't, this chicken is still pretty good. I'll leave it up to you to decide though.



Serves 4:

300gms boneless chicken breasts cut into cubes
1 cup cornflour
Salt & pepper to taste
5 cloves of minced garlic
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp vinegar, preferably rice wine or cider vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
1/2 tbsp sesame oil



Heat oil in a large saucepan. In a large bowl, season chicken with salt & pepper. Add in cornflour and toss to combine. Cook chicken in pan till fully cooked and golden brown.

Set another saucepan on low heat. Add in the rest of the ingredients & stir. Add the chicken & cook for 2-3mins or till all the pieces are evenly coated.



Sprinkle some sesame seeds or spring onions and serve with noodles.